The Kashmiri Cardigan
by Geet SHREYAholic
Summary: A short wintry days special OS, not so romantic but still not bad for one time reading! have a look DaReyans!


**The Kashmiri Cardigan**

 _It was the beginning of the chilly January. People were crouched inside their houses wrapping themselves in woolens. Shreya too was cuddled inside the blanket but poor Daya was roaming somewhere in Kashmir following some links of his current case in hand._

 _Shreya dialed his number. He received after two rings._

"Han Shreya kaisi ho?" _He asked._

"Daya mujhe bahut thand lag rahi hai. Bistar se nikalne ka to man hi nahi hota. Pata hai yaha ka temperature kitna hai, 12 degree Celsius." _Shreya said wonderfully._

 _Daya laughed,_ "bas? aur yaha ka temperature nahi puchogi, arey yaha barf pad rahi hai. Temperature is below 0 degree."

 _Shreya sat straight in the bed,_ "oh my god! Aap waha kaam kaise kar rahe hain?"

"Kaam ho gaya, kal wapas aa raha hu main!" _Daya said._

 _Shreya jumped in happiness_ , "Really, oh I miss you so much. You know itni thand me akele sone par neend bhi nahi aati." _She said cutely_

 _Daya smiled_ , "Bas aaj ek din aur akele so jao, kal aa raha hu na main to sone to dunga nahi."

 _Shreya blushed_ , "pata hai!"

 _Daya smiled at her_ , "achha suno, tumhare liye kuch kharida hai maine yaha se, tumhe bahut pasand aayega."

 _Shreya again jumped in excitement,_ "wow, kya kharida hai, batao na!"

"No..abhi nahi bataunga, kal aa raha hu na to khud hi dekh lena." _Daya said._

 _Shreya became sad_ , "oh daya, ab main puri raat guess karti rahungi aur mujhe neend nahi aayegi."

"Nahi nahi chup chap so jao, ab main phone rakhta hu, chalo good night, love you!" _Daya said kissing the cellphone_

"Good night! Love you too!" _Shreya said and they disconnected._

 _The next day Shreya was super happy waiting for Daya's come back. She prepared some of his favorite dishes as a gesture to welcome him._

 _The doorbell rang and Shreya literally ran to open the door. As she opened the door and found Daya standing there she threw herself in his arms. Daya smiled and embraced her with love._

 _Shreya separated,_ "andar aaiye, bahar bahut thand hai."

 _Daya moved inside._ "Itni bhi thand nahi hai yaha, jitni Kashmir me thi."

 _Shreya took his bags_ , "wo sab chodiye, jaldi bataiye mere liye kya laye hain aap?"

 _Daya smiled seeing her excitement,_ "are baba wait, dikha raha hu. Baithne to do!" _He sat down on the couch._

 _He opened the bag and took out a packet._

 _Shreya snatched the packet immediately,_ "kya hai isme?"

"Khud hi dekh lo." _Daya said._

 _Shreya opened the packet and got a beautiful cardigan in pink color. She opened her mouth in surprise,_ "wow! How beautiful!" _She exclaimed._

"Hai na, aur dekho uski front side pe ek caption hai, idhar" _Daya said showing her the caption. There was written,_ 'I love you' _along with a shape of heart._

"Awe this is so adorable Daya! Thank you so much!" _Shreya said happily._

"Aise nahi, pehan kar dikhao." _Daya said._

"Ok!" _Shreya said and put on the cardigan. She was looking no less than a princess in pink. Daya admired her._

"Kaisa lag raha hai?" _Shreya asked._

 _Daya kissed her forehead,_ "bahut khoobsurat."

 _Shreya smiled and noticed the price tag displaying MRP: 15 thousand rupees. She became shocked._

"Daya, ye to bahut mehanga hai. Aur winters to mushkil se 2-3 mahine hi rehti hai. Main kya karungi iska? Kya jarurat thi itne paise kharch karne ki?" _She looked dissatisfied._

 _Daya held her by her shoulders,_ "Shreya kisi bhi cheej ki value uspe kharch huye paiso se nahi usse jude emotions se hoti hai. Maine bahut dil se kharida hai ise tumhare liye, kyunki mujhe pata tha ye sirf tumhare liye bana hai. Dekho tum kitni achhi lag rahi ho."

 _Shreya smiled and hugged him,_ "Daya, you are so sweet, I love you!"

 _Daya too smiled and hugged her back._

 **Two days later**

 _Shreya had to go somewhere for an important work. She wore her overcoat and scarf to protect herself from the cold waves. Daya saw her._

"Tum kahi ja rahi ho?" _He asked._

"Ha kuch kaam hai, bas ek ghante me aa jaungi!" _Shreya said covering her head with scarf._

"Shreya wo cardigan pehan kar jao na!" _Daya requested._

"Daya, kabhi aur pehan lungi!" _Shreya said._

"Nahi, kuch din me to winters bhi khatam ho jayegi phir kab pehnogi. Main kuch nahi sunna chahta, tum wo cardigan pehan kar hi bahar jaogi bas!" _Daya said stubbornly._

 _Shreya nodded her head with a sigh. She went and came back wearing the cardigan_. "Bas, ab khush?"

"Bahut khush!" _Daya said._

 _Shreya smiled,_ "bye, main chalti hu!" _She left._

 _Shreya completed her work and when she was returning she got stuck in traffic. She stopped her car on the signal and started waiting for the traffic to get clear._

 _Shreya heard some noises and lowered the window. She found_ several beggars suddenly descended upon the area _scurrying among vehicles and seeking alms from motorists._ _A old woman wrapped in ragged clothes and holding a undernourished baby in her arms, was looking at Shreya with hopeful eyes. She was shivering due to cold. Shreya's heart melted seeing her condition. She had no money at that time. The woman was joining her hands and pleading to Shreya._

"Oh my God! Aisi thand me itne garam kapde pehan kar bhi main kanp rahi hu aur ye bechari aurat? Kya karu main, is waqt to mere paas kuch paise bhi nahi hain.!" _Shreya became tensed._

 _She looked at her cardigan and then at that woman._ "Iski jarurat iss waqt iss aurat ko jyada hai. Mere paas to kitne sare kapde pade huye hain. Ye bechari itni thand me kahi mar na jaye!" _and without bothering to think again she took off her cardigan and forwarded to that woman._

"Ye lo, ise pehan lo. Tumhe thand nahi lagegi."

 _The woman took the cardigan with trembling hands and then blessed Shreya._

 _The signal was green. Shreya drove away. She came at a distance and stopped the car._

"Oh no! Ye kya kiya maine? Wo cardigan Daya ko itna pasand hai, wo kitne pyar se laye the mere liye. Unhe pata chala to bahut naraj ho jayenge!" _She reversed the car and went on the same signal in the search of that woman. Some more beggars were wandering there but that woman was nowhere to be seen. Shreya asked some beggars about that woman but couldn't find her. She searched her a lot but ultimately got only disappointment. She returned home with a fallen face._

"Arey Shreya itni der kyun laga di? Kaha thi tum? Aur..." _Daya stopped in middle_ , "Shreya, you are shivering?"

 _Shreya didn't look at him,_ "Nahi to, I am fine Daya"

 _Daya moved near her_ , "Yes you are shivering Shreya. Tum to cardigan pehan kar gayi thi na phir nikal kyun diya, itni thand hai bahar?"

 _Shreya crossed him and moved ahead looking downwards,_ "nahi to Daya itni bhi thand nahi hai."

 _Daya felt something fishy with her behavior. He caught her hand,_ "ek minute! Shreya tum mujhse kuch chupa rahi ho na? Bolo kya baat hai?"

"Koi baat nahi hai Daya, kuch nahi chupa...

 _Daya cut her,_ "I am sure tum kuch to chupa rahi ho. Warna tum is terah se mujhse aankhe nahi churati. Tell me what it is!"

 _Shreya looked at him. Her eyes were moisten_. "Daya wo...wo cardigan..." _She mumbled._

 _Daya narrowed her eyebrows_ , "han kya hua? Kaha hai wo cardigan?"

 _Shreya broke down like a little innocent girl and told him everything._

 _Daya was jiggered._ "What?" _He exclaimed. He kept staring at her for a minute and then suddenly burst out,_ "Tumhara dimag kharab ho gaya hai Shreya?"

 _Shreya looked up at him_ , "I am sorry Daya! Us aurat ko dekh ke mujhe bahut taras aa gaya us par. Itni jyada thand me uske paas bilkul kapde nahi the. But jab mujhe realize hua ki mujhe use wo cardigan nahi dena chahiye tha to main wapas gayi use dhundhne but wo nahi mili Daya. I am so sorry Daya!" _she sobbed and moved to hug him but Daya jerked her away._

"Shut up Shreya! Tum kabhi nahi sudhar sakti. Tum karti pehle ho sochti baad me ho. I know tumhe charity ka kitna shauk hai, lekin tumne mujhe hurt kiya hai you know! Main tumhare liye kuch le aaya, itne pyar se, aur tumne kya kiya? Utha kar ek raah chalte beggar ko de diya? Ek baar bhi tumne mere emotions ke bare me nahi socha? Yahi value hai tumhare liye meri aur mere pyar ki?"

 _Shreya cried,_ "I am sorry na Daya...

"Shut up! I don't want to talk to you!" _He said angrily and moved from there._

 _Shreya watched him going and cried feeling extremely guilty._

 _Daya didn't talk to her the whole day and kept avoiding her. Shreya was continuously saying sorry but Daya was in no mood to forgive her._

 **Next day**

 _Shreya was sitting on the bench in the garden seeking for some sunshine but the sun was too hesitant to come out of the clouds. On top of that the cold waves were making shreya to shiver. She caressed her arms feeling cold. Suddenly she felt warmth as someone draped her with something soft from behind. Shreya looked at the material and became shocked as it was the same cardigan. She turned her head and found Daya stood there smiling._

"Daya, ye... ye cardigan, kaha mila aapko? Aapne dhundh liya us aurat ko?" _Shreya asked surprisingly._

"Nahi, main us aurat ko nahi, sirf is cardigan ko dhundh raha tha. Tumhe pata hai, usne is cardigan ko pehana nahi tha balki isse apne bachhe ko cover karke sulaya hua tha!" _Daya said._

 _Shreya's smile faded slowly_. "Aur aap ise lekar chale aaye? Aapko aisa nahi Karna chahiye...

"Ek minute ek minute, puri baat to suno" _Daya said interrupting her._

 _Shreya became silent and looked at him._

"Iske badle main uss aurat ko winter wears aur blanket dekar aaya hu. Mana mujhe tumhare jitni charity ka shauk nahi hai but iska matlab ye nahi ki mera dil patthar ka hai. Yakeen nahi aata to ye bills dekh lo." _Daya said showing the bills of those stuffs._

 _Shreya smiled at him and then noticed the bill._

"Haww! 15 thousand!" Shreya exclaimed, "Daya, itne expensive items lene ki kya jarurat thi?" _Shreya complained._

"Mere liye to iss cardigan se expensive kuch bhi nahi kyunki ... _Daya said._

"...kyunki kisi cheej ki value uspe kharch huye paiso se nahi usse jude emotions se hoti hai." _Shreya completed his sentence._

 _Daya nodded with a smile_ , "Correct!"

 _Shreya's eyes started watering._ "Ab na ye cardigan zindagi bhar mere paas rahega. Aapka itna sara pyar jo basa hai isme! I love you so much Daya!" _She took a step closer and rested her head against his chest._

 _Shreya was holding the cardigan in her hands and daya was holding his beloved wife in his arms near his heart._

 **o-o-o-o**


End file.
